U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship takes over Elmira

The top amateur female hockey players in the country are in Elmira this weekend for the U Sports National Women’s Hockey Championship tournament at the Woolwich Memorial Centre.

The Waterloo Warriors are hosting the event and entered the tournament as the eighth and final seed. But, the low ranking didn’t deter the Warriors who shut out the top-ranked Alberta Pandas from the University of Alberta in the quarterfinals, advancing to Saturday’s semifinal.

The action is happening all weekend long. Saturday begins with the consolation games followed by the semifinals later in the day. The bronze medal game and the championship final will happen on Sunday.

Tournament steering committee member and Waterloo Ravens Girls Hockey Association president, Sandra Hanmer was a guest on The Mike Farwell Show and said this kind of event is about more than the final score.

“When I think of the members of our association and the girls’ associations throughout our region, being able to really see the university athletes and vision that they can be the university athletes, isn’t something everybody is able to accomplish.”

Hanmer says this tournament presents an opportunity for young girls to find inspiration and motivation to achieve their goals.

“U Sports is a wonderful opportunity for our young athletes to see role models. Seeing opportunities where young girls, young women and women can advance themselves, and improve themselves, sports is one of the greatest ways to do that. And, teams sports especially. You learn so many life lessons as you’re going through the activities.”

Along with inspiring young athletes, Hanmer says this tournament is an important showcase for the region.

“It’s saying we are a destination. An area to come. And, that we’ve got the facilities, the interest and the passion to bring largescale events like this to our community.”